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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What school subject does Richard teach?

2. During which season of the year is the story "The Littoral Zone" set?

3. On the night when they first made love, what insect did Jonathan and Ruby stay up late discussing?

4. How does Christopher feel about Sarah Anne's relationship with Catherine?

5. In what country were Antonia's parents born?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did Jonathan and Ruby's romantic relationship start?

2. When was Antonia born, and how did her birth fit into her family's immigration plan?

3. Who is Catherine, and what relationship does she have to Sara Anne?

4. How does Sara Anne's life change after Christopher becomes engaged to Juliet?

5. How did Richard manage to obtain a handwritten letter from his idol, Mendel?

6. What does Christopher find attractive about Juliet?

7. How did Jonathan and Ruby end up on the island together in the story "The Littoral Zone"?

8. How did Antonia's life change in the 1970s?

9. What was Tati's reaction to his supervisor's death?

10. What physical state is Linnaeus in?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

In any story collection, the order of the stories is purposeful and meant to evoke certain connections and rhythms in the reader. How are the stories in "Ship Fever" arranged? How does that order influence your reading of the book as a whole? In your opinion, which story do you think should have opened the collection - therefore setting its tone - and which should have ended the collection, anchoring the themes? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 2

In the story "The Marburg Sisters" Bianca and Rose have a very close bond as children, but that bond begins to deteriorate as the girls age. First, describe the girls' relationship as children and compare / contrast that to their relationship as adults. Then, choose two major events in the girls' lives and explain how these events affected their relationship? What was the state of the sisters' relationship at the end of the story? Be sure to include examples from the text to help strengthen your arguments.

Essay Topic 3

Sarah Anne's life in the story "Rare Bird" is one of strict societal constraint. First, describe Sarah Anne's life when her parents were alive, and compare / contrast that to Sarah Anne's life after her parents passed away. In your opinion, what was the largest societal constraint placed on Sarah Anne as an adult. Do you think this constraint would be the same had Sarah Anne been born into modern society? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

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